Things I love... Pt3 aka MBW

While I was in NY IT finally came.  Sweet!  I'm referring to the above, my 1st Mr. Brainwash(MBW) piece, "Lines Davis".  It's a print he did using hand torn archival paper, hand stained and finished with paint.  Sidebar: Another of my passions is art history.  I love it because of the story you end up finding out behind each piece.  In any case, something that always stuck with me from my art history teacher was that you should only purchase art if it connects with you.  I've been peeping MBW's work for a minute now.  You can find it ALL over LA.  Which is fresh.  I really dig street art.  I feel like it adds another facet to the city's life.  Also, the murals serve to refresh my mind when I drive past different pieces on walls and sides of buildings.  It happens to break up the monotony of being stuck behind a car.  lol  There's a wall up the street from my house that is a frequent canvas by MBW.  I find myself riding by looking specifically to see if he's posted something new.  He started out, actually, as a documentary filmmaker shooting street artists like Obey and Banksy amongst others.  He felt so inspired by them that he began to create his own works.  Super fresh, right?  What a way to pay homage.

What inspires me about MBW is that he has the sarcasm of say a 2000 Warhol type which you see with his pieces like "Kissing" the lines version of the Madonna & Britany MTV kiss.  At the same time he shows you his love of art and artists.    Additionally, MBW is constantly showing his gratitude, I believe, by painting the likes of Jackson Pollack, a lines version of the infamous Mona Lisa, the above in honor of Michael Jackson at his passing and of course my piece, "Lines Davis", to name a few.  He took a popular photo of Miles and did his own recreation.  This piece speaks to me because of the dual passion I see represented.  Miles is in his element, his passion of music and MBW in his of street art.  Whenever I look at the painting is reminds me of how important passion and drive really are on this path I am traversing.  Miles Davis was a groundbreaking musician and inspired 2 of my personal favs, John Coltrane and Herbie Hancock. 

Keeping with that theme, he has a new show coming out in London in December of this year aptly entitled "Icons".  The official print (above) for the show is so dope because within it are "shout outs" to countless artists from Norman Rockwell, to Duchamp (aka R.Mutt as MBW signed the bathtub as a wink to the famous Fountain piece), to Banksy, Picasso, himself and all surrounded by "Chaplin" sitting in the "R.Mutt" tub.   It's as if all of these artists have come by and tagged this scene showing us all forms of art are incredibly important and on the same playing field even though they are different in nature.  Isn't that the point of IT all, though?  Everyone deserves a place, a voice.  We needn't be afraid, "Art is not dead".

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